Holding Pattern
by just slummin
Summary: This story takes place four months after the events of Rock and a Hard Place.  Mal and River are expecting their baby, and Simon and Kaylee find themselves in a dire situation.
1. Chapter 1

**Holding Pattern**

**Part I—Landscape**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Rating: PG

Author's Note: This story takes place four months after the events of "Rock and a Hard Place." Reading that fic first may be helpful for reference, but not absolutely necessary. This story is dedicated to those few precious souls who asked so kindly for more.

Summary: As the 'verse around them edges toward revolution, Serenity's crew carries on business as usual.

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Jayne sat in the common area watching Inara walk gracefully up the stairs, arm-in-arm with her latest client. Observing the ease of her demeanor, he was pleased to think that he had contributed to it by the gentle attentions he'd been giving her for the past four months. He supposed that, were he more like Mal, the sight of her preparing to service a client would make his blood boil, but, as it was, he understood well enough what Inara needed from him and what she was willing to give in return. Weren't exactly the most romantical of arrangements, he thought, but then again, he'd never been particularly needful of romance as such.

The thought of a wife and fat little babies held no appeal to the mercenary, knowing as he surely did the rough nature of the 'verse. Sure, he liked that little girl Anya, and had to admit a mite of curiosity about what kinda' child Mal and River coulda' made, but other than that, he would be fine without all the complications that went with young 'uns.

Still, he thought, surreptitiously watching Inara and her client until they moved out of his range of vision, Inara was a gift he would never have figured on having. Woman not only knew all manner of ways to sex a man 'til his eyes rolled back in his head, but had a fetching quietness about her when they weren't sexin', a calm like a deep lake that soothed his soul when he lay with her in the dark.

While his mind was thus occupied with thoughts of the Companion, his hands went to work on repairing the table leg that had been broken during one of Zoe's more colorful landings. She was getting somewhat better though, since Mal had insisted someone other than himself or River might need to be proficient at the helm, for when the little one made his arrival into the 'verse.

Zoe and Inara were each taking regular turns in the cockpit now, both of them probably more aware of what could happen during the delivery than Mal was. Jayne figured it was good they were getting the practice now, while River was still able to train them proper-like.

He thought Moonbrain was doing pretty good too, considering she was almost seven months gone. What had just been a tiny bump beneath her dresses for the longest time had just lately ballooned into something else altogether. She was still going out on some jobs though, and Jayne could tell it made Mal all manner of nervous when she did. That there was another good reason not to get your woman pregnant, Jayne thought, as he set the table back up on four sturdy legs.

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Mal sat at his desk with River on his lap, noting not for the first time in the past few weeks that it was not as comfortable a position for him as it had been before. Her new weight pressed down relentlessly on his thighs, making him long to re-position her. Once upon a time, he thought, she would have picked up on his discomfort, but now she seemed to be in a perpetual state of distraction, more attuned to their son growing within her than any outward stimulus she received. Simon had told him that this was normal for many women, and that the effect may have been enhanced by River's psychic connection with the child. But still, it made Mal uneasy somehow.

Resting his hand lightly on the tight skin of what used to be River's waist, he could feel the small flutterings indicating his son's restlessness. While he was endlessly fascinated by the sensation, River had long since tired of the seemingly constant movement, which tended to become more pronounced the more she tried to rest. Stroking her belly firmly around Mal's hand, she could detect the slight lessening of movement. She smiled, hoping that their child would always respond so well to her touch.

Turning her attention to the cortex screen that Mal was watching, she felt her smile fade. It was yet another news report about the civil unrest affecting the Core planets, an increasingly familiar story since the demolition of the Alliance facility on Salisbury. The Operative, true to his new intent, had managed to orchestrate a tremendous amount of media coverage detailing the dark purpose of the labs there, and the abuse of the prisoners detained without trial and tortured unmercifully. Adding fuel to the growing fire were the testimonials released in captures made by several of the prisoners themselves, men who dared to come forward to denounce the government that had sanctioned such abuse.

Revolution, once only the hope of Rim worlds, was now openly debated on the streets of many Core planets as well. And while Mal still had no desire to endanger his family on Serenity to join such a cause, he could not help a certain amount of interest in its progress. Almost made a man hopeful to see it, he thought. Aloud, he said, "What do you think, darlin'? Any chance in hell this thing might topple the Alliance once and for all?"

River looked at him sadly, shaking her head. "Beast has too many heads. Chop one off, another grows to replace it. Endless repetition."

Mal frowned, somewhat deflated by her words. "Maybehaps someone should aim at the heart 'stead of the heads then."

River reached up to brush away the lines that had formed across his brow. "That would be assuming there is a heart."

Mal smiled wryly. "Good point, bao bei." Sighing, he turned off the monitor and leaned back in his chair. Brushing River's wild hair back behind her ear, he asked, "How did it go today?"

River shifted her weight, causing him to wince just a bit. "Simon said everything's right where it should be. He wanted to do another sonogram, but I asked him to wait until you could see it too."

"Sorry I couldn't be there with you this time, bao bei. I didn't think this was gonna be one of the times for more pictures, or I'da sent Zoe and Jayne to do the job, and stayed here with you."

River smiled tiredly. "It's all right, ai ren . Simon told me he asked you to find something for me while you were in town."

Mal gave her a fake frown. "Can't anybody on this boat keep a secret?" he asked, reaching around her to open the desk drawer.

River's eyes lit up when he pulled the small brown bag out and dropped it into her eager hands. He watched in pure delight as she dipped her hand into the bag, pulling out a piece of hard candy. "Lemon drops," she moaned as she popped the first one into her mouth. "I love lemon drops."

Mal smiled, happy he'd been able to find them. "I can see you do," he said, as he watched her lips pucker with the sweet and sour taste of them.

She looked at him for a moment, obviously waging a mental war with herself. Holding the bag out to him, she asked, "Want one?' with a look that made it abundantly clear the offer was a sacrifice.

Mal laughed, his blue eyes twinkling in the dim light of their bunk. "No, darlin', you can have every last one." He paused, a slow, easy smile coming to his lips. "So long as I get to kiss you when you indulge."

"Deal," River said, happily leaning forward to seal the bargain. Mal kissed her slowly, savoring the taste of lemon on her tongue.

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Anya bounced up and down on the bed in excitement. "When can I open it, Mama?" she asked, eyeing the brightly papered package eagerly.

Zoe had meant to present it to her tomorrow morning, but as always, Anya's enthusiasm was too infectious to resist. Handing the package over, she said, "You can open it tonight, but then we're going to put it away until tomorrow. Dong ma?"

Anya's face fell slightly, but she still tore off the paper with wild abandon. Gulping in a huge breath, she squealed when she saw the beautiful paints and thick, creamy paper. She had admired Miss River's drawings for some time, and had been eager to have her own paints. Though she had just turned six, she understood instinctively that her new family lived as close to the edge as her old one had, so she would never have asked for such a luxury.

While Zoe was glad of that fact, it still pained her that the beautiful child should have such an understanding at her tender age. Watching the loving way Anya touched the paints, Zoe said, "Best we put them up for now. When Miss Inara gives you your next calligraphy lesson, you won't be needin' to borrow her supplies any more."

Anya reluctantly closed the box and handed it back to Zoe. "You think she might give me a lesson tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"I expect so, child. And if she can't, you can still use the paints for regular drawing and the like."

Her smile restored, Anya settled back into the covers. "Thank you, Mama, for getting' 'em for me. I'll paint you a pretty picture, soon's I get the hang of it."

Zoe laughed and dropped a light kiss on Anya's blond tresses. "I'll be looking forward to it, little one."

Lying down beside her, Zoe thought with gratitude about the gifts in her life. Anya lit her days with such joy as she'd thought she'd never see again, and seemed to have a similar effect on the crew. Truly a child of Serenity, Anya spent her days receiving, if not a formal education, at least lessons she would need living the life they led. In addition to Inara's calligraphy lessons, Zoe herself spent time with Anya every day, improving her regular reading and writing skills. And Zoe had caught Mal more than a few times with Anya, their heads almost touching over old-style star-charts as he taught her astronomy and history. Simon and River seemed more than happy to help the child explore the world of science and mathematics, while Kaylee taught her the more immediately practical things like how to listen for a problem in Serenity's engine or what ingredients to put into their protein mush to make it more palatable. Even Jayne had taken to teaching Anya about self-defense, though Zoe had to draw the line when he wanted to introduce weapons into his lessons. All in all, Zoe could hardly have imagined how accepting of Anya they had all been, or how much Anya seemed to thrive under their attentive eyes. She thought, with just a hint of sadness, how surprised Wash would have been to see such a thing, and how misguided he had been in his concerns about having a child of their own. Thanking God that she had been allowed this second opportunity, she tucked the blanket more closely around the now sleeping child, and fell asleep with a heart full of the sheer joy of it.

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Finally finished with the test results from River's pre-natal visit earlier in the day, Simon turned off the infirmary lights and headed to his bunk. Seeing that Kaylee was not there yet, he climbed back out and found her, her boots sticking out of an access panel in the engine room. He stopped for a moment, listening to the little tuneless song she was humming as she worked. Smiling, he cleared his throat, alerting her to his presence.

The singing stopped abruptly as Kaylee wiggled back out of the panel, moving her hips unconsciously in a way that made Simon's heart beat a little faster. He thought, not for the first time, how unseemly his hunger for his wife would appear to the Core-bred society in which he and River had grown up. Even now, as an adult, he couldn't quite picture Gabriel and Regan Tam sharing anything more than polite interest in each other's bodies. How they had managed to produce two children was beyond him.

On the other hand, how he and Kaylee were avoiding procreating was, in his estimation, a medical miracle. Thankful beyond measure for the modern science of contraception, he had no desire to start a family right now. He and Kaylee had discussed it at length, and she assured him she could wait until he was ready, and even seemed happy to do so. But now that River's pregnancy was nearing its end, he occasionally caught a wistful look on his wife's face as River allowed her to feel the baby kick. Dismissing the vaguely troubling thought from his mind, he reached out to enfold her in his arms.

"Thought I'd work on the wiring a mite before bed," she mumbled against his chest. "Didn't know you'd be finished up so quick." She breathed in the clean scent of him happily.

"If you're not finished here, I can wait," he said, nuzzling his nose into the softness of her hair, her nearness arousing him as it never failed to do.

Pressing her hips closer to his body, she snorted softly. "Don't much feel like you're wantin' to wait." She tilted her head to kiss his slightly parted lips. When they were both fairly breathless from the contact, she pulled away. "Panel can wait, though." And taking his hand, she moved with purpose to their bunk, Simon following her readily, just one step behind.

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To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

**Holding Pattern**

**Part II—Schemes and Dreams**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Rating: PG

Summary: Mal and River have a rare disagreement, and Inara talks to the counselor for the last time.

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Mal watched River try to pick up the toothbrush she'd just dropped and suddenly realized it was well past time they should have moved into the passenger dorms. His normally freakishly limber wife was unable now to touch her toes, hampered by the twenty-five extra pounds sitting high under her breasts. She shouldn't even be attempting the ladder at this point, he thought, as he retrieved the errant toothbrush for her.

"Thank you," she said, fighting back sudden tears of frustration.

Mal, unaware of the extent of her dismay, said, "I'm thinkin' tomorrow mornin' we'd best be movin' our stuff to one of the passenger dorms 'til the little one gets here."

River sighed and nodded numbly. Pleased to have received no objection, Mal continued, "In fact, I think it's time for you to stop goin' out on jobs too. Can't be easy on you, and it ain't exactly easy on me worryin' about you."

"You don't have to worry about me," River protested, suddenly annoyed beyond reason by what she perceived as condescension. "Can do the jobs we've been taking with my gorram eyes closed."

Mal stared at her, startled by the abrupt vehemence in her tone. He and River seldom fought, but when they did, it was all manner of disturbing to them both. Trying for a soothing tone, he replied, "May be that's true, darlin'. But I got no notion to put you in any kind of danger I can avoid whilst you're…incapacitated."

River's eyes flashed angrily. "I'm not incapacitated, Mal. I'm pregnant. And just because you're my husband doesn't give you the right to say what I can and can't do."

Mal's jaw tightened and a pulse began to throb at his temple with her words. "That's a pure truth," he answered, straining with the effort not to bellow. "But bein' the Captain of this boat gives me the right to say who goes on the jobs and who stays put. And you're stayin' put 'til the little one comes. Dong ma?"

His look warned her that this was not even vaguely negotiable. Before she could stop herself, River began to cry. Hating beyond measure the whipsaw nature of her emotional state, she slumped onto the bed, her shoulders heaving with sobs.

Ai ya, Mal thought, unable to back down on this important point and completely undone by her tears. Inara had pulled him aside almost a month ago to explain the wild mood swings he could expect River to have as her pregnancy progressed. Fair certain that's what he was now witnessing, he swallowed nervously and tried to think how to handle it without making it any worse.

Figuring that lying was worth a shot as she appeared too distracted to catch it, he said, "It's not you I'm worryin' on, bao bei. It's me. When you're with me on the job now, I get all paranoid and crotchety. Can't help it, but that's the way of it."

He held his breath and sat down beside her, pulling her into his embrace while hoping she didn't catch him in the lie. Weren't exactly a lie, he rationalized. More like a partial truth. He was gratified when, in a few minutes, her sobs subsided into little sniffles and hiccups against his chest.

"Best be getting some rest now," he said, disentangling himself and laying her back on the bed. When she'd turned onto her side, the only sleeping position that allowed her comfort now, he climbed in behind her and pulled up the blanket over them both. Then, cradling her swollen belly with one arm, he waited for sleep to come.

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Though it was the middle of Serenity's night, it was early afternoon on Greenleaf where the counselor sat listening intently to Inara's account of her activities for the past week. Nodding with genuine gladness at Inara's apparent progress, she thought that this last of their scheduled sessions was really unnecessary. The Companion seemed able now to function much as she had before her brutal attack. The counselor felt satisfied with the work she'd done, but she knew that others in Inara's life had helped her to recover much more quickly than she alone could have done. And it was Inara's relationship with one of these people that the counselor wished to help her clarify in their remaining time together. When Inara finished recounting the highlights of her latest contract, the counselor asked, "And you felt no anxiety during physical intimacies?"

"None whatsoever," Inara said happily. "I think I'm over that reaction. With every client for the past two months, I've felt very at ease the entire time."

"Excellent," the older woman said warmly. "You've made such progress, Inara. You should be very proud, as am I." 

Inara inclined her head graciously, pleased with the sentiment.

"May I ask how Mr. Cobb is handling your increased client contact?"

Inara looked up quickly, taken aback by the seeming change of subject. "Jayne has no objections. He's happy to see me feeling more confident."

"Really?" the counselor asked, one eyebrow raised skeptically. "That seems a rather enlightened response for the type of man you've described him to be."

Inara felt an inexplicable need to defend the mercenary. "Jayne is a simple man, and he has no trouble compartmentalizing what one does for a living from what one does in one's personal life."

Noting the defensiveness in her tone, the counselor pressed forward. "Are you referring to your job or his?"

Inara frowned, considering the question. "Both, I suppose. Jayne understands that what I do with my clients has nothing to do with my feelings for him, just as I understand that his job does not, of itself, define him as a person."

"And how would you characterize your feelings for him?"

Inara paused, thinking carefully about her answer. "I feel gratitude for the kindness with which he's treated me…and I feel…steadied by his presence. He makes me feel, for want of a better word, empowered again."

"So, you draw strength from him?" the counselor clarified.

"Yes, I suppose that would be one way to put it."

"And is there nothing more you derive from this relationship?" the counselor probed gently.

"Are you asking me if I love him?" Inara asked.

"Do you?"

Inara's brow furrowed with the thought. "Not in the way I had always imagined love would be."

"And how did you imagine it would be?"

Inara smiled at her own remembered innocence. "All doe-eyed and full of promise, I suppose."

The counselor laughed lightly. "I would never have taken you for a romantic, Inara."

Inara replied with her own laugh. "I think that the training I've received as a Companion effectively cured me of any romantic notions I might have harbored as a child."

"And Mr. Cobb. Has he been 'cured' of romantic notions as well?"

Inara shrugged slightly. "I suppose so. Why do you ask? Do you find our relationship unhealthy?"

It was the sliver of doubt the counselor heard in Inara's tone that gave her pause. "Do you?"

There was a long silence as Inara searched her heart for the truthful answer to the question. Finally, she raised her head higher, and answered confidently, "No, I don't find it unhealthy. It makes me happy, and seems to do the same for him."

The counselor smiled warmly. "If that is the case, then I am very pleased for you both. You deserve to be happy, Inara."

Inara returned the woman's smile, thinking how very much she would miss talking to her regularly.

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Jayne lay in his bunk, staring at the ceiling and hoping that Inara would come to him tonight. She didn't come every night, and almost never on the same day as she had a client, but she always came after a session with the counselor. So, there was a fairly decent chance she'd slip silently down his ladder soon enough.

Just as he turned off the little light he had taken to leaving on for her, he heard the faint release of the hatch and the rustle of silk as she climbed down into the darkness.

"Jayne?" she called softly, waiting at the bottom of the ladder for her eyes to adjust to the change in light from the corridor to his bunk.

"I'm here," he said quietly, sliding over toward the wall to give her room to climb into his bed. After a moment, he felt the smooth slide of silk against his skin as Inara aligned her body with his.

"Good session?" he asked, his hands skimming across the silk lightly.

"Yes," Inara breathed. "It was the last one, too."

"You sure 'bout that?" he asked.

Tingling deliciously everywhere his strong, warm hands stroked, Inara answered, "Um humh. All done." Her own hands began to roam to places of interest on her lover's body, eliciting a throaty groan from Jayne.

"Ai ya, but you are one wicked woman," he growled as he slipped the silky negligee off her exquisite shoulders and out of his way.

"So the legends say," Inara replied saucily, her lips curving into a smile against his collarbone. Nipping at the skin there, she felt his pulse quicken in response.

"Turn on the light. I want to see you," he said, his voice gruff with desire.

Reaching one arm across him to comply, Inara gasped as he flicked his tongue across one taut nipple. Arching to give him better access, she sighed with pleasure as his lips and tongue continued on their erotic path. Just as she thought she might lose all control from the stimulation of both his tongue and hands, he stopped moving abruptly, staring down at her body intently.

"What is it?" she asked breathlessly, suddenly frightened by the look in his eyes. "What's the matter?"

"Your client do this?'' he asked, tracing the outline of a dark bruise spreading across Inara's ribcage.

"No," she assured him quickly. "Actually, Zoe did it."

Jayne looked at her in disbelief. "Zoe beat on you?"

Inara laughed. "No, last night when we landed, if you could call it a landing, I had the misfortune of being thrown against the edge of my bureau. Nothing more," she said soothingly.

Jayne relaxed, remembering the table leg he'd had to repair from the same incident. "It hurt?"

"Not really. It looks much worse than it feels."

Satisfied, Jayne moved to begin again where he'd stopped, but Inara stayed his hands. "What if my client had done it?" she asked softly. "What difference would that have made?"

"If a man laid a hand on you to hurt you, I'd have to kill him," Jayne replied seriously, the cold glint in his eye sending a shiver down Inara's spine. Because of the gentleness with which he treated her, she sometimes forgot exactly how violent this man could be.

"Jayne," she said as calmly as she could manage, "You have to understand something. If my client had hurt me today, the Guild would handle it. You wouldn't, and shouldn't, have anything to do with it. Dong ma?"

"Like they done with Atherton Wing?" Jayne said bitterly.

Inara swallowed thickly, bile rising in her throat. "That was an extreme case, Jayne. Very unlikely to ever happen again."

Jayne stared at her, blue eyes boring into brown ones. "I know it was, 'Nara," he conceded. "But ya' can't expect me to sit on my thumbs if'n some hundan ever hurts ya'. I ain't got it in me to do such as that."

"Then I'll have to be sure to choose my clients wisely," Inara said, her voice barely above a whisper. She reached up to cup his cheek in her soft hand.

Covering it with his larger one, he brushed his lips lightly along the hollow of her palm. "I 'spect that'd be best," he said, a bare trace of darkness still in his hooded eyes.

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Mal awoke with a jolt, River flailing wildly beside him in the throes of a nightmare. Pinning her arms to save himself and her from bruises in the morning, he tried to calm her.

"They're coming," she said, still twisting in his firm grasp.

"Who? Who's coming?" he asked, icy tendrils of dread wrapping around his gut. He'd long since learned to pay heed to River's ramblings, be they sleeping or waking ones.

Her eyes snapped open and she gasped as she awoke fully. Trembling beneath Mal's grip, she drew in large gulps of air.

"You were dreaming, bao bei. Said something about someone coming. Do you remember who?" Mal asked softly.

"No," she said, eyes wide with the half-remembered images of the dream. "I don't know. It's gone now."

"Probably wasn't anything to worry over," Mal soothed her. "Maybehaps it was just all the pent-up stuff from earlier. We shouldn't fight, I'm thinkin', 'specially now before bed." Seeing that she was oriented now, he released her arms gently. "It's all right now."

River looked at him blankly for a moment. "I hope so," she whispered, curling against his side as best she could with the bulge of the baby between them.

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To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

**Holding Pattern**

**Part III—Walks and Talks**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Rating: PG

Summary: Mal and Jayne have a talk, and Simon surprises Kaylee.

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The utter silence was beginning to disturb Jayne's calm. Bouncing along the dusty road in the mule beside Mal, he wanted to hurry up and get through with the gorram job and get the di yu away from the obviously irate Captain.

Serenity had landed on Athens earlier in the morning, and everything had seemed fine until Mal rounded a corner at an inopportune moment to see Jayne and Inara in a somewhat heated embrace. Jayne had thought Mal to be safely in the passenger dorms, helping River get settled in to their temporary quarters. He and Inara had been very careful during the past four months to keep their activities private. Though River had to know and Jayne suspected Zoe knew as well, neither woman had betrayed that knowledge to Mal. Jayne thought glumly that their silence had probably kept him from being sucked out the airlock until now. But judging from the tight line of Mal's jaw, his luck may have just run out.

Mal stared straight ahead, his mind whirring with all manner of strange emotion. He could hardly use his old excuse about no crew relationships, as every crew member above the age of six other than Jayne himself had broken that little rule all to hell at one time or another. Nor could he lay any claim on Inara's affections, being as how the book on their physical relationship had slammed itself shut more than three years ago now. But the thought of Inara choosing Jayne, of all people, was a concept he couldn't quite wrap his head around. Finally unable to hold his tongue any longer, he said tightly, "When, exactly, were you plannin' on tellin' me?"

Jayne looked at him in genuine surprise. "Weren't never plannin' to, seein' as how it ain't none of your business who I'm beddin', long's I ain't doin' it when I'm s'posed to be on the job."

It was Mal's turn to look surprised. "You really think it's that simple, do you?"

Jayne watched the small vein in Mal's temple pulse. Slowly, he replied, "Yeah, I do. Been beddin' 'Nara for four months now, and I ain't had no complaints from you 'bout the jobs. Reckon that speaks for itself."

Mal continued to stare at the dusty road they traveled, shocked by the revelation of just how long he'd been oblivious to the goings on of his own crew. After a long pause, he asked, "You intendin' to do right by her?"

"Right as she'll let me, anyhow," Jayne answered honestly. "I got no notion to hurt her, if'n that's what you're askin'."

Mal's initial anger was changing into curiosity, much to his own surprise. "It don't bother you she's taking clients?"

"How I feel 'bout that ain't in no way your concern. But I'll answer ya', if you're so worried on it. No, it don't bother me in the least. 'Nara's a Companion, and that's what she wants to be. Ain't my place to feel one way or the other about it."

The statement, so simply made, brought an unexpected smile to Mal's face. "That so?" he asked, sudden humor in his tone.

"It is," Jayne replied flatly.

Mal had to admit a certain grudging respect for the man. While such a thing would be insufferable to Mal, apparently Jayne had no such qualms. And from the way Inara had been draped all over his mercenary in the darkened corner earlier, he had to admit she didn't look to be unhappy with whatever kind of arrangement they had either. Wondering if he was becoming more tolerant or just more tired, he sighed.

"You manage to hurt her I'll kill you myself," he said by way of granting his acceptance to Jayne.

Jayne nodded shortly. "Figured as much," he said.

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Simon puttered around the galley, gathering up supplies in the basket he'd unearthed from the closet he and Kaylee shared. Thinking to surprise his wife with a walk in the warm sunshine of Athens to a pleasant picnic spot, he packed the basket carefully. When he'd checked earlier with Zoe, she had estimated that Mal and Jayne would be gone until at least midafternoon, so he knew he had plenty of time to find Kaylee in the little junkyard close to where Serenity had landed.

Kaylee had been working on the rather large project of re-wiring Serenity's secondary systems for a few weeks now, and Simon could see the exhaustion in the slump of her shoulders each night. The Captain knew nothing about her extra work, because Kaylee wanted it to be completed before she mentioned it to him. She had told Simon she wanted it to be a surprise, so he kept his own counsel on the subject, resisting the urge to press her to slow down.

But he knew Kaylee, and a little romantic picnic under a large shade tree was just the kind of thing that would get her to stop, at least for an afternoon. And the truth of the matter was that Simon himself welcomed a distraction from the thoughts that plagued his waking hours now. Though there was no indication that River's delivery would be anything but ordinary, Simon was very nervous to be the doctor who would preside over it all. Mal, sensing his reluctance, had told him that they would be taking jobs closer to the Core as her due date approached, thereby ensuring that they would be close to decent medical facilities should the need arise. But Simon knew that neither he nor Mal really wanted to see River in an Alliance facility of any kind, ever again. So, as was his custom, he worried about his sister.

Stuffing a blanket under his arm, he took the packed basket and stepped out into the sun. He followed the little path to the junkyard and found Kaylee happily accumulating odd bits and pieces for Serenity into a neat little pile. Squinting up at him in the noonday light, she smiled when she saw the blanket and basket.

Simon leaned in to kiss her. "Thought we might take a little stroll," he murmured against her lips.

Linking her arm through his, she called out to the disreputable-looking man a few feet away, "Be back in a bit to pick up these here parts, Joe. Can ya' hold 'em for me?"

"Might cost ya' extra," Joe said with a wink. "But I'll go easy enough on ya, I reckon."

Kaylee laughed, and walked with Simon a far enough distance to be unable to see the piles of junk behind them. Presently, to the couple's delight, they found a little stream with a huge willow tree standing on its grassy banks. Stretching out in the shade on the blanket, Kaylee set about exploring the contents of the basket, squealing with delight at each new item that came forth.

"Would have gotten strawberries, but they're not in season here," Simon said, watching his wife lick the juice of a ripe peach she'd discovered in the basket from her fingers. He wondered if she had any idea how watching her eat a piece of fruit affected a man. More than once he'd seen Jayne practically salivating at the sight, and even Mal seemed to get a little flustered on the odd occasion when she did it. Simon really couldn't blame them, he thought, considering what the sight did to his own body.

Leaning forward, he caught her lips in a kiss which deepened as he laid her down on the soft blanket. Tasting of peaches, Kaylee drew him closer and moved to unbutton his shirt. Heedless of the fact that they were out in the open for anyone to see, they quickly got rid of their confining clothes and settled into a steady rhythm, the dance of their bodies both familiar and excitingly different in the dappled sunlight. Thinking that this was indeed the closest thing he could achieve to Books' version of heaven without having to die first, Simon made exquisite love to his beautiful wife.

XXXXXXXXXX

Inara made a graceful brush stroke, and waited patiently for Anya to copy it on her own paper. Her little pink tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth in concentration, Anya tried to reproduce the character she saw. Looking at the somewhat lopsided result, Inara said, "That's good, but I think you can do even better. Let's try again."

As Anya worked, Inara's mind wandered to thoughts of Jayne and Mal. Having seen the shock and anger in Mal's eyes in the corridor earlier, she could only hope that the two men had come to some understanding by the time they got back from making the delivery. She knew both men well enough to know that things had the potential to be very ugly very fast if one or both of them should lose control. And she honestly had no idea how she would react if that happened.

Tugging at Inara's sleeve, Anya asked, "This one better, Miss Inara?"

"Much better, sweetie," Inara said, dragging her thoughts back to the lesson. "Now watch as I do the second character."

XXXXXXXXXX

Money heavy in his shirt pocket, Mal was a happy man. For once, the deal had gone down just as it ought, with smiles on all sides and only one tense moment when one of the men unloading the mule got a little fractious with Jayne. Smiling at the memory, Mal chuckled softly.

"What you laughin' at?" Jayne asked, scanning the horizon as they rode back toward Serenity.

"Just rememberin' why I keep you around," Mal said easily. "That guy, the one that wanted to give you trouble, his face was just priceless when he saw Binky."

Jayne grinned. "Stupid hundan thought he had a knife 'til I pulled Binky out." The two men laughed at the idiot's reaction.

After a moment, Mal said, "Made cashy money today, and in record time too. Thought I might stop in the settlement and pick up a few things."

"Fine by me," Jayne said, thinking he might just do some shopping of his own. But when they got to the settlement, Mal stopped in front of a store window that had nothing Jayne Cobb wanted. It was some sort of baby supply store, he thought in amazement. Didn't even know there was such a thing until just that minute. But figuring it was cooler inside the store than out, he followed Mal through the squeaking door.

Mal knew exactly what he wanted, but found himself wandering through the narrow aisles anyway, amazed at all the paraphernalia that apparently went with a baby. He knew River had been picking up some things every time Serenity landed somewhere with goods for sale, and the other women on board rarely came back without a little something when they went dirtside, so he figured the small stuff was cared for. But he was in search of a crib, knowing the bed he shared with River was far too small for a third person, even if he was a tiny one.

He found a selection of exactly two cribs, neither of which struck him as sturdy enough for a child who could move at all. And judging from the pounding the kid was giving River every day, Mal was anticipating a rambunctious little boy.

And then he saw it. Sitting to the side of the paltry crib display was a rocker. Not quite as fine as the one he'd seen on Santo, but beautiful all the same. And it was priced more within the range of his limited budget. Problem was, he thought ruefully, he couldn't really afford both the rocker and the crib, and the crib was a necessity.

Jayne stood to the side, watching the way Mal's hands ran along the intricately carved design of the antique chair with apparent longing. Looking from the crib to the rocker, he discerned the source of the Captain's hesitation.

Shaking both cribs roughly, Jayne said, "Wouldn't put a young 'un of mine in either one of these pieces of go se. Hell, Mal, I could make one sturdier than these easy. All I'd need is a little lumber."

Mal looked at him in surprise. Jayne continued, "Saw a lumberyard out by the edge of the settlement. Prolly find everything I'd need right there."

"Am I hearing you right?" Mal asked. "'Cause it sounded to me like you just offered to make a crib."

When Jayne simply nodded his head, Mal said, "You'd do that for me?"

"Hell,no," Jayne said, grinning widely. "I'd do it for Moonbr…I mean, River, and maybe for the little squirt."

Mal smiled one of those smiles that went all the way to his eyes, a smile like Jayne had rarely seen from him. "I'd take it as a kindness," he said, genuinely touched by the gesture. He thought briefly how very much he had learned about his mercenary since morning.

Once the rocker and the lumber had been purchased and loaded securely onto the mule, the two men headed back to Serenity in companionable silence. Lulled by the steady thrum of the mule's engine and the warmth of the midafternoon sun, Mal jumped when the comm unit crackled to life.

Zoe's voice held a quality Mal had rarely heard there, near panic. "Sir, River says you need to get back to the ship right now. She says to tell you they're coming."

"Who's coming?" Mal asked urgently.

Through the crackle of the comm he heard, "Reavers."

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

**Holding Pattern**

**Part IV—Abandoned**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Rating: PG13

Summary: When Reavers attack the settlement on Athens, not all the crew makes it back to Serenity in time.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Reavers."

The word hung in the air for a moment, bringing with it the metallic taste of pure fear. Mal and Jayne scanned the skies above them, looking to see from which direction the Reavers would be coming. Mal heard the deafening whine of the Reaver ship breaking atmo before he saw it.

"Gorram thing's right on top of us," Jayne yelled above the noise, watching the ship coming into the town a scant kilometer beyond where the mule currently was. While Jayne looked backward in horror, dozens of Reavers descended from cables to begin their merciless attack on the defenseless settlement.

Mal, sparing not even a moment to look behind them, gunned the mule forward. He tried to block out the screams he heard emanating both from the Reavers themselves and their hapless victims on the ground. Jayne half-stood, bracing himself against the back of the passenger seat, wishing to Book's god he had Vera with him instead of Binky. But Athens, like Canton, had a no-guns policy, and both he and Mal were seriously unarmed.

Unfortunately for the Athens settlers, the rule applied to citizens as well. Within short minutes, the main street of the little town ran red with the blood and effluvium of people rent to pieces by the savage invaders. The Reavers spread out, looking for fresh meat along the side streets to satisfy their insatiable appetites.

"Faster, Mal," Jayne urged, though he knew the mule was going as fast as Mal could make it go. Mal said nothing, intent on the sight of Serenity coming into view ahead, engines already whirring to life to take them out of danger.

"Zoe, open the ramp. We're almost there," he said into the comm. as calmly as he could manage. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he saw a sight that made his blood run cold. A second Reaver ship was breaking atmo, flying low and fast, as it approached Serenity on an almost collision course.

Mal drove up the ramp, bringing the mule to a screeching halt as Zoe slammed the button to secure the ship. "Take us out, NOW," Mal yelled. He jumped out of the mule, taking the stairs two at a time to reach the bridge, Jayne and Zoe following right behind.

Bursting onto the bridge, Mal bellowed, "I said, take us out River. Now!"

"Simon and Kaylee are out there," River said. "They're not answering their comm unit."

As had happened to Mal a few times in battle, his world suddenly slowed to an impossibly sluggish pace, the details of his surroundings standing out in sharp relief. River's eyes, huge in her pale, tear-stained face, filled now with unspeakable anguish. The Reaver ship, looming oppressively closer through Serenity's window. Jayne's look of horror and helplessness as River's words penetrated. Zoe and Inara, standing on either side of Anya, three sets of wide eyes staring at him for a solution.

He closed his eyes for a second, and time resumed its normal speed. Gripping River's shoulders, he turned her back around to the helm and gave the most difficult order he'd ever uttered.

"Get us the hell out of here, now."

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon awoke to the sound of a high-pitched whine coming from the direction of the Athens settlement. Vaguely chagrined that he had fallen asleep, he looked over to see Kaylee stretching her luscious frame as well.

"How long'd we sleep?" Kaylee yawned.

Simon looked at his watch. "Too long," he answered, hastily donning his clothes and gathering the picnic supplies back into the basket. "The Captain will be less than pleased if we've made them wait."

Kaylee shrugged, folding the blanket neatly. "He'll get over it. Weren't told to keep to a strict schedule this time anyway. Besides, if he was too upset, he'd be hollerin' for us on the comm." The thought prompted her to reach for it in her discarded clothes. "It ain't over here. You see it over there?"

Simon looked carefully all around them in the grass. "No, it's not here either."

"It must've dropped out of my pocket somewhere in the junkyard then. I'm sure Joe's found it by now."

Simon groaned. "Do we have to go back there? It will make us even later than we already are."

"Cap'n would be more than a mite peeved if we left the comm," Kaylee said reasonably. "Best to get it even if it does hold us up some."

Simon set a fairly rapid pace as they walked back toward the junkyard. But as they came within sight of it, they began to hear a disturbingly familiar sound. Stopping where they stood, they listened carefully.

"That don't sound too good," Kaylee whispered, her eyes widening with dawning comprehension. She grabbed Simon's hand in a bruising grip. "Sounds like…"

"A Reaver attack," Simon finished, fighting the panic rising in his chest. "Stay here, ai ren . Let me check it out."

Kaylee would not release his hand. "Not gonna let you walk into it alone, Simon Tam."

Seeing that it was useless to argue, and hoping they were wrong about the source of the terrible noises, Simon walked silently forward. Maintaining any cover they could find, they got close enough to the settlement to see that their suspicions had been correct. Dozens of Reavers swarmed over the small area, their high-pitched screams and guttural growls mingling with the heart-breaking sound their victims made as they pleaded and prayed for mercy that would not be granted.

The savagery before him made Simon physically ill, his stomach muscles contracting painfully with fear and pity for the settlers. Kaylee stood motionless, her hand over her mouth in fright. He followed her gaze and saw yet another gut-wrenching sight. Serenity was rising into the atmosphere, a second Reaver ship following much too closely in her wake. Simon stood transfixed by the total horror of the scene, so like a childhood night-terror brought to stunning and brutal life before his eyes.

Shaking himself to break the spell holding him immobile, he said, "We have to get to safety. Come on." He took Kaylee's hand and pulled, but she would not budge. Her eyes were still fixed on Serenity. "They ain't gonna make it," she whispered, as the Reaver ship closed the narrow gap. Only when both ships disappeared from view did she turn to her husband with a look of utter desolation. "They were way too close, Simon. No amount of fancy flyin' coulda' got 'em far enough away."

"You don't know that for sure, Kaylee. I'm sure they'll be just fine," Simon lied soothingly. Glancing back toward the settlement, he said, "I'd say we're the ones in danger. When the Reavers…finish with the townspeople, they'll spread out to hunt. We've got to get as far away as we can, as fast as we can. Dong ma?"

"But all those people…" Kaylee began.

"We don't have anything that can help them, ai ren," Simon interrupted gently. "And depending on what happened with Serenity, the second Reaver ship might be coming back as well. Please," he said, holding out his hand.

With one last look toward the settlement, Kaylee took his hand and they walked together silently until they got back to the little stream. The peace of the place seemed almost surreal after the carnage they had just seen. "Think this is far enough?" Kaylee asked, her voice oddly flat.

Simon looked at her sharply, worried that perhaps she was going in to shock. "I don't know, Kaylee," he said. "I have no idea about their range of hearing or smell. I think we should travel as far as we can before nightfall, and maybe find some shelter more substantial than the willow tree."

Nodding numbly, Kaylee stumbled along behind him. Just on the edge of darkness, they found a much larger tree that had at some point been struck by lightning, creating a hollowed spot at its massive base among its root system. Brushing the area free of insects as best he could, Simon sat Kaylee down on the soft dirt. Bending his longer frame into the small space, he pulled Kaylee close and wrapped the picnic blanket around them both. Kaylee lay her head wearily against his chest, and they both fell into an exhausted sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal sent everyone but himself and River off the bridge, telling them to strap themselves into something securely. Then he heeded his own advice and harnessed himself into the co-pilot's chair, all the while watching his wife try to evade the Reaver ship. Tears streaming down her face, she held the yoke firmly, guiding Serenity into impossible spins and twists to shake the other ship off her back. Without Kaylee in the engine room, she was limited in what she could achieve, however.

Mal said nothing aloud, assuming his thoughts were probably screaming in her head anyway. Finally, after an eternity of dizzying maneuvers, Serenity broke atmo, and Mal thought for one wildly optimistic moment that the Reaver ship would turn back toward Athens for easier prey. Instead, it appeared directly beneath Serenity, scraping along her struts and causing both ships to tumble wildly.

Wrestling Serenity out of her spin, River sat with her arms straining tautly to hold the yoke steady. Heedless of the danger, Mal released his harness, and placing his hands over hers, used his added strength to level out the spin. When the stars realigned in a familiar pattern, Mal saw that the Reaver ship was still tumbling end over end. Hoping to put distance between them, River tried to nurse an extra push from the engine, but there was no response.

"Sir, we've got fire back here." Zoe's voice announced over the comm. Almost immediately, the lights began to flicker, and the comm. system went dead.

"I've lost navigation," River said softly, flipping switched with no apparent response from the helm. As her words sank in, Mal detected the acrid odor of an electrical fire circulating through the ventilation system. Knowing that somewhere in the ship, Zoe and the others were battling it, he turned back to River. "There are four moons orbiting Athens. Think you can get us to one of them?"

"Only three are terraformed. The other one is a black rock now," River replied. "And I'd be flying blind."

"Then choose one of the three and set her down. I trust you, bao bei," Mal answered, as he left the bridge to find and contain the source of the fire.

River took a deep breath, pushing the thought of Simon and Kaylee abandoned among Reavers out of her mind using a survival tool she'd acquired from Mal. So many times he had ruthlessly suppressed his own emotions to save his men in battle, his crew and family on Serenity, or even himself. And this ability was so interwoven into the fabric of his mind that River could see the warp and weave of it, and she emulated it now. She would grieve tomorrow, aching and raw with the heavy weight of it pressing down on her chest, but for now she would find a way to land Serenity and save what was left of her family. Thus determined, she closed her eyes and instinctually took the yoke yet again.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	5. Chapter 5

**Holding Pattern**

**Part V—Stranded**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Rating: PG13

Summary: While Simon and Kaylee are stranded on Athens, River tries to pull off an emergency landing.

XXXXXXXXXX

River concentrated on what she remembered of the orientation of the three inhabited moons of Athens. Sensing the ground of the one she had selected rushing up to meet the ship, she opened her eyes and tried to lessen the severe re-entry angle. Unable to use the comm to warn the others, she prayed they were all strapped back in, as the landing was going to be a brutal one at best.

Mal, following his nose to the source of the fire, was in the corridor outside the engine room when Serenity made a jarring landfall and skidded finally to a shuddering halt. He lost his footing, slamming painfully into the wall. After righting himself and rubbing the knot already forming on his temple, he made it to the engine room on unsteady feet.

Zoe stood looking down at the tangle of melted wires snaking out in all directions from the barely beating heart of Serenity. "Fire's out, sir," she reported dryly, putting down the spent extinguisher.

Mal nodded grimly. "How bad is it?"

"Looks to be bad enough," Jayne offered, following the path of the wiring up into an access panel. "I don't know anything 'bout engine workin's, but this don't look promisin'," he said, pulling back the panel to reveal further damage.

Mal grimaced at the melted mess before him, rubbing once again at his throbbing temple. Poking uselessly around in the heap of wiring, he knew what the crew was thinking. Kaylee would surely know exactly what they were looking at, but Mal didn't have even the slightest clue. Glancing up at Zoe, he saw the same disheartening lack of knowledge in her bland expression. River lumbered up to stand beside him, her belly preventing her from bending to peer into Serenity's workings more closely. But what she could see was enough to tell her the ship would not be operational any time soon.

Everyone stood silent, the severity of their situation mingling unpleasantly with their thoughts regarding the fate of Simon and Kaylee. Breaking the silence, Mal turned to River and said, "We anywhere near a settlement of any kind?"

"I don't think so," River replied hollowly. "Didn't see any sign of one during the landing."

"Which you handled admirably," Inara said graciously, knowing the grief the young woman must be feeling for her brother and sister-in-law.

"That you surely did," Mal said as he drew her into his embrace. Turning back to the engine, he said, "May be just as well we're nowhere near a town, what with the Reaver ship possibly somewhere out there. I conjure they'd be apt to leave us alone if they found more folk to hunt elsewhere."

"Meanwhile, we got no way off this rock, seems like," Jayne said grimly. "And no way to get back for the doc and lil' Kaylee."

"Well, we'll just have to figure somethin'," Mal said, more forcefully than he meant to.

Anya tugged on his pant leg, reaching her arms up to be held. "I want to see," she said.

Mal lifted her up, and she peered seriously into the still-smoking heap. "Miss Kaylee's gonna be upset," she said solemnly.

Mal swallowed past the lump in his throat. "We'll just have to fix it then," he said softly.

River said, "We could maybe do enough re-wiring to get our main systems up, if we had the extra wiring available. Perhaps we could salvage wire from some of the non-essential systems and use it until we could get back to Athens. Assuming nothing but the wiring itself is damaged too badly."

Zoe thought skeptically that assumption might not be anywhere near the way of things, but she did not voice that thought aloud. Instead she said, "Don't know that we could find enough extra wire to replace all this."

"Why can't we just use the new ones that Miss Kaylee has?" Anya asked curiously.

Everyone looked at the child. "What new ones?" Mal asked.

Anya wriggled down from his arms and took his hand. "I'll show you," she said, leading them all to a small locker in the corner of the room. She opened the door with a flourish, revealing neat coils of wiring stacked up almost to her head. "Miss Kaylee's been showin' me all about how the little lines feed the engine just what it needs to purr like a kitten," she said proudly.

Seeing the sudden grins on all the adult faces, Anya knew she'd just done something very good.

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon crawled out of the hollow of the tree, his legs and back protesting mightily. Kaylee joined him, shivering in the chill of the early hour.

"Morning, ai ren," Simon said as he looked around them cautiously. He saw nothing in any direction that looked menacing, but on the other hand, there didn't seem to be anything that looked particularly promising either.

Kaylee busied herself with rummaging through their basket, pulling out the precious few items of food they hadn't eaten the day before. Offering the larger portion to her husband, she perched on one of the massive, exposed tree roots and ate her breakfast.

"If the Cap'n comes back to get us today, don't ya' reckon we oughta' go back where we were?" she asked. "I mean, assumin' they got away from the Reavers, that's where he'd start lookin' for us, right?"

"I'd imagine Mal would wait until he could be fairly certain the Reavers are gone," Simon replied. "I'm not so sure he'd come back quite so soon."

"Then what are we gonna do?" Kaylee asked, her voice shaky with apprehension.

Simon sighed. "First, we need to find some water."

"Well, we know where the nearest water is," Kaylee pointed out. "The little stream from yesterday." She stopped, struck by how long ago their pleasant picnic now seemed.

"I suppose it's best to go back there instead of continuing to wander around out here with no clue where we might find a better water source," Simon conceded. "Still, I hate to get that close to the settlement until we know the danger is over."

"How will we know less'n we go back?" Kaylee asked logically.

"You've got a point," Simon said wryly. "And if the Reavers are gone, some of the townspeople may be in need of medical assistance."

"And we could find the comm. and see if Serenity's about," Kaylee added encouragingly.

"And if that doesn't work, maybe we could even find a cortex screen somewhere and wave them to let them know we're still alive," Simon said hopefully.

Thus fortified by a meager breakfast and an optimistic plan, they set out toward the settlement, knowing it would be at least midday before they would arrive at their destination. They walked quietly, each saying little as they pondered the fate of their friends and the horrors that might be awaiting hem in the unfortunate little town.

Stopping only to drink deeply from the little stream and fill their small bottles with fresh water, they saw the junkyard ahead early in the afternoon. Moving much more stealthily now, they were hyper-alert to every strange noise or small movement, their hearts hammering wildly with the surge of genuine fear.

Simon held up his hand, motioning Kaylee to stop walking. Thinking it best to sit and listen closely for a little while before actually walking into the yard, he pulled Kaylee down beside him and held his finger to his lips. Nodding, she sat on her haunches beside him, her eyes intent for anything moving around them.

After several minutes, Simon rose silently to his feet, and helped his wife do the same. Creeping slowly into the junkyard, they came upon Joe, or more accurately, what was left of him. Kaylee clapped a hand to her mouth, stifling the scream that threatened to erupt.

Simon looked around quickly and, finding a tarp, covered the body, saving it the last indignity of being picked clean by the birds circling lazily in the bright blue sky overhead. Venturing further into the area, he and Kaylee found the comm unit lying close to the neat pile of parts she had planned to purchase for Serenity. Not wanting to make any undue noise, Simon slipped it into his pocket, hoping to try contacting the ship when they were more certain of their situation.

Presently, they reached the edge of the settlement and paused to look for any evidence that Reavers were still there. But the town was silent, as if even the birds and insects dared not disturb the horrific tableau. Seeing neither Reaver ship and no evidence of Reavers anywhere about, Simon began the grim task of searching for survivors.

Kaylee walked closely beside him, revolted by every new desecration she saw. Men, women, and children alike all subjected to the barbarous cruelty of their predators, some torn limb from limb, others obviously abused beyond the ability to survive. And all of them gnawed and torn like animals sacrificed to ravenous gods. The once dusty streets of Athens were now muddied with the blood and gore left in the wake of the frenzied attack.

Finally overcome by the sights and smells around her, Kaylee dropped to her knees and began to wretch violently. Simon, on the verge of a similar reaction, leaned down to steady her as she began to shake uncontrollably. "Ai ren," he whispered, gently rubbing her back, "I'm so sorry. I should never have let you come with me."

Kaylee pulled herself upright with a massive effort. "Couldn't let you come alone, Simon," she said sadly, wiping at her eyes, nose, and mouth.

Belatedly, Simon handed her a handkerchief, which she gratefully used to finish the job. Stuffing it in her jumper pocket, she looked up at him with watery eyes.

"Nothing to do but get finished with it, I reckon," she said resolutely.

"Let's at least stop for a minute and try to contact the ship," Simon said, assuming it was safe to use the comm by now. But when they attempted it, their only answer was static.

Seeing Kaylee's expression become even more forlorn, Simon tried to reassure her. "It doesn't mean anything, Kaylee, except that they're still out of range. We'll try again later. In the meantime, keep your eye out for a cortex screen somewhere, and we'll send them a wave instead. Okay?"

Kaylee nodded, still trying to control the little jerky sobs that escaped periodically.

"Why don't you just rest while I look around some more?" Simon suggested solicitously.

Kaylee shook her head emphatically. "I'm goin' anywhere you go, Simon. Ain't about to sit here by myself."

"All right, ai ren," he agreed quickly, hoping to forestall any more crying. "What we do, we'll do together."

Thus reassured, Kaylee walked along beside him again, choosing not to look too closely at the more gruesomely disfigured victims. Simon worked in silence, painstakingly checking every body for any sign of life.

Just about to give up on the search entirely, he came across the body of a young man, perhaps around his own age from what Simon could make out. Observing that the man had crawled into an alleyway and partially hidden behind a refuse bin, Simon knew that he had at least been still alive when the Reavers had apparently finished their brutal attack on his body. His face and torso were carved into a gruesome pattern, and the lower half of his body was now simply a mass of bloody pulp. But when Simon bent down to check for a pulse, to his horrified surprise he found one. Weak and thready, but definitely a pulse, he thought. Quickly assessing the extent of the man's injuries, Simon knew that there was nothing in his medical expertise that could save this man even if he could somehow be miraculously transported to the most advanced trauma center in the Core, much less lying in a dirty alleyway on a border planet.

To his despair, the man began to moan faintly at his touch, alerting Kaylee to the fact that he was still alive.

"What can we do for him, Simon?" she asked urgently, turning troubled green eyes to him in hope.

Hating the words he was about to utter, he said softly, "We can put him out of his misery." And for the first time since the Reaver attack, he bowed his head and wept bitter tears of frustration and grief.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

**Holding Pattern**

**Part VI—Dark of Night**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Rating: PG

Summary: While Simon and Kaylee handle things on Athens, the rest of the crew begins to deal with their new situation.

XXXXXXXXX

Every instinct inside Simon screamed in rebellion as he emptied the lethal contents of the syringe into the arm of the last living victim of the Reaver attack. He had performed this task four times now, and it had gotten no easier with repetition. Thankful at least that he'd been able to find the small doctor's office on the main street of the Athens settlement, he had prepared the poisonous mixture with shaking hands and a heavy heart. Though he knew logically that it had been an act of mercy to administer the injections, now that it was done, he could not shake the feeling that he was a murderer all the same.

The defeated slope of his shoulders made Kaylee ache with sympathy. She knew instinctively that something very fundamental had been breached in her husband, and knew that she could do little to help him repair it. Simon's need to heal and fix what was broken ran like a strong current though his soul and his capacity for guilt when he was unable to do so was almost as strong. But Kaylee's love for him was wide and deep, and her belief in him was infinite in scope. So, she stood beside him, dry-eyed now in the face of this latest sorrow, and took his cold hand in her own.

"Nothing much else we can do tonight," he sighed, looking toward the sunset but blinded to its beauty in his grief. "Guess we can pick one of the houses to use for shelter. These poor souls won't be needing them anymore."

Kaylee nodded. "Haven't seen anything like a public cortex screen anywhere. Maybe if we pick one of the larger houses up the road there toward the edge of town, we might find a private one we could use."

Simon agreed wearily, and they walked the short distance to a house that looked as if its owners could have afforded a private cortex link. Once inside, Simon found that all the adrenaline that had been spurring him on for hours was suddenly dissipated, leaving him limp in its wake. He sat down in the chair nearest him, trying to block out the fact that two short days ago, someone else may have sat in that very spot, enjoying the fruits of his labors and making the sort of future plans all people do, heedless of their mortality.

Kaylee looked around briefly, uncomfortable to be trespassing in a home so recently bereaved of its owners. She found no cortex screen, but she did manage to find a moderately well-stocked kitchen, and before too long, Simon could hear the rattling of pots and pans as she prepared a simple meal. He had no appetite, of course, but knew that he would force down whatever she gave him to show his gratitude for her love and support.

Kaylee came into the room, and gently pried Simon from his chair. She steered him toward the kitchen, where a little table sat in what was apparently designed to be a breakfast nook. Simon took a seat, and watched her ladle food onto two plates. She searched for silverware for a moment, and upon finding it, set it down with the plates in front of Simon. Taking a chair opposite him, she smiled and picked up her fork. "Best dig in while it's hot," she said, with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"Looks good," Simon murmured as he speared the first bite onto his fork.

After that, they ate in silence, the only sound the scrape of the forks against their plates. When Kaylee moved to clear the table, Simon stayed her hands. "Just leave them, ai ren. We can clean them tomorrow. Let's just lie down for awhile."

Kaylee looked up into his tortured eyes, circled now with purple shadows in the lamplight. "All right, bao bei," she agreed, letting him lead her up the stairs and into a bedroom on the second floor. They fell, exhausted, into the large bed there, and slept deep as death throughout the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mal lay on the bed, watching River with more than a little concern. She was currently hunched over his desk, sketching on a large pad the path that the new wiring would have to take. Intent on her work, she had not spoken for over an hour.

"Come to bed, darlin'," Mal implored softly. "We'll make an early start of it come morning."

"Want to get this done before tomorrow," she said.

Mal got up and moved behind her, laying his hands gently on her shoulders. "No reason you shouldn't be able to remember it as well tomorrow as you do tonight," he pointed out carefully.

River leaned back, resting her head against his chest. "We just left them there, Mal," she whispered desolately.

"I know we did, bao bei," he said, keeping his voice as steady as possible. "Don't see as we had a choice." He closed his eyes, pushing the thought of Kaylee and Simon in the hands of Reavers forcibly out of his mind.

River shuddered, and Mal wondered if it was the result of his thoughts or her own. She rose from the chair and made her way to their bed, dropping her robe dispiritedly on the floor behind her.

Mal gasped when he saw her body. A large faintly purple bruise ran across her belly from one hip to the other. Suddenly panicked, he ran the few steps to her side.

"It's all right, ai ren," she said, running her hand along the outline of the bruise. "It's just where the harness held me in during the landing."

"But, the baby… are you sure…" Mal began, having trouble coordinating thought and speech.

"Is all right, I think," River said. "Seems the same as he was before. Not distressed."

Mal relaxed minimally, wishing with all his being that Simon was there to check River's condition for him. But that thought led to thoughts of Simon's own probable condition, and Mal ruthlessly stopped those ideas at once. He had a ship to repair, and five people looking to him to do it. He could not take time now to ponder the fate of the rest of his crew. There would be time enough for that in the days to come, he thought wearily.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jayne sat in the galley, nowhere even close to being able to sleep. Of all the eerie-ass go se in the 'verse, Reavers still topped the list of nightmare-inducing things Jayne had seen. And the thought of lil' Kaylee and the doc stuck on Athens among them was enough to turn his blood into ice water. Jayne was not a religious man, but he had listened to the Shepherd's words well enough to hope that a merciful God was seeing to them, wherever they were now. He stared at the table top, and raged against his own inability to do anything more for them than pray. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear Inara until she opened a cabinet to pull out a tin of tea.

"Didn't see you there," he said.

"I know," Inara replied softly. "You looked so intent on your thoughts I didn't want to distract you."

"Believe me, I want to be distracted from the go se I was thinking on," Jayne admitted.

Inara looked at him in empathy. "I know," she almost whispered. "When I think of Kaylee and Simon stranded there with no way out…" Her voice broke, and she drew a ragged breath.

"Maybe they weren't in the settlement. Zoe said Simon meant to surprise Kaylee with a picnic. Maybe they took a walk or something far enough away…"Jayne's voice trailed off.

Inara sat down across the table from him, and laid her hand lightly atop his larger one. "I'm sure you're right," she said, wishing desperately it was true.

"Yeah,well, wish I was," Jayne said. "But we both know it ain't like to be the case. If it was, they'da' answered the comm 'fore we pulled out."

Stricken by the grim reminder, Inara could think of nothing to say to ease the weight of the raw grief pressing down on them both. So, she rose and began preparing her tea, the motions slow and deliberate, and soothing in their familiarity. Setting a steaming cup before Jayne and taking one for herself, she sat back down.

And they sat in silence, bound by their heavy hearts, for a long time into the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zoe lay still beside Anya, who tossed and turned fitfully in her sleep. The little girl awoke periodically, crying out in distress from a series of nightmares. Zoe assumed they were triggered by the anxiety the intuitive child felt radiating from the crew.

Finally, Anya sat up in bed completely, scrubbing the tears from her face with tiny fists. She had heard whispered stories of Reavers all her life, but she had no real idea of what they were. Had to be something bad though, she thought, to make Mama and Captain Mal both go so pale and Mr. Jayne's eyes get all wide and frightened-looking. Working up her courage, she asked, "Mama, what are Reavers?"

Zoe sighed softly and reached to hold the child close. "Reavers are people that had something really bad done to them, and now they want to do really bad things to other people."

"Why?" Anya asked, her blue eyes curious.

"I don't know, child," Zoe answered honestly.

Anya frowned at the answer, uneasy that Zoe would be lacking in this knowledge. Seeing the look, Zoe added, "Sometimes things just are what they are, Anya. And Reavers are very bad people."

"Then I'm glad they're gone now," Anya said, shivering slightly. After a moment, she asked, "Why didn't Miss Kaylee and Dr. Simon come with us?"

Zoe could think of no way to answer her that would be reassuring. "Well, we had to leave quickly, and they weren't close enough to the ship to get back in time."

"Will we ever see them again?" Anya asked, her voice trembling with the effort not to cry.

"We'll go back to get them soon's we can," Zoe answered, her own voice treacherously shaky.

"And will the bad people still be there?" Anya turned her frightened face up to Zoe.

"Captain Mal won't go back until he's sure the bad people are gone," Zoe answered. "He won't put his crew in danger."

"But aren't Miss Kaylee and Dr. Simon his crew too?"

"Yes, they are."

"Then how come he left them with the bad men like that?"

Zoe drew a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Anya, Captain Mal is responsible for the lives of everyone on Serenity. And sometimes when you're responsible for a lot of different things, you have to make decisions that are hard to make. Captain Mal has to think about all of us all the time. Dong ma?"

"So, if you and me had gone to town, he'da' left us too?" Anya asked in a small voice.

"Not unless he absolutely had to to save everybody else," Zoe answered firmly.

"Would you have done it like he did?' Anya persisted.

"Yes."

"Then I'm glad you're not the Captain," Anya said.

"Me too," Zoe replied solemnly.

Anya snuggled more closely into Zoe's embrace, pondering everything she'd just heard. "That's why he looked so sad when he picked me up to see the twisty wires."

"Yes," Zoe answered softly.

After a short silence, Anya asked, "Are they dead, Mama?"

Tempted to lie, Zoe opted instead for a middle ground. "I don't know, little one. But we'll find out just as soon as we're able. And Miss Kaylee and Dr. Simon are smart folk, so I'm sure they did what they could to stay safe."

"Maybe we oughta' say a little prayer for 'em," Anya suggested.

"You do that, child," Zoe said.

As Anya dutifully bowed her little blonde head and clasped her hands together, Zoe found her own head bowing as well.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	7. Chapter 7

**Holding Pattern**

**Part VII—Dirtside**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Rating: PG

Summary: The crew starts repairs in earnest, and Simon and Kaylee find a cortex screen.

XXXXXXXXXX

River lay on her side beside the engine, craning her neck underneath so that she could watch Mal's hands. She was frustrated beyond belief by the fact that her swollen body would not slip under the engine so that she could do the intricate wiring herself.

She knew more intimately than anyone on Serenity how very talented Mal's hands could be, but his fingers were large enough to be a hindrance as he tried to do the delicate work. At first, River had tried to use Zoe and then Inara to help her, but neither woman had a natural aptitude for it, and River, nerves stretched paper thin, could not express clearly what needed to be done. Finally, she had sent Zoe off with Jayne to remove access panels throughout the ship and check all the wiring for damage that may have escaped their notice in the first day, while Inara entertained Anya.

River had to admit there were advantages to working with Mal rather than the two women. Mal had at least a rudimentary understanding of how Serenity actually worked, though he had relied on Kaylee for so long now that he'd forgotten some of what he had once known. But the larger advantage was that River could communicate with him both verbally and mentally, and he could see the pictures she drew in his mind as he worked.

While normally such an intrusion would be uncomfortable for him, Mal was glad for River's ability to plant such images in his mind now. He was realistic enough to know that, without her special gifts, Serenity would be grounded on this moon indefinitely.

Even with the extra advantage, Mal estimated that the re-wiring and assorted other repairs from the collision with the Reaver ship and subsequent rough landing would take at least a couple of weeks of steady work on the part of the entire crew, things being as they were.

He could feel River's frustration, vibrating like a live wire in his mind and combining dangerously with his own impatience. So, he tried to work as quickly as possible without making a mistake that would blow them all to the hot place when they fired Serenity up again.

Hearing a small grunt from River, he turned his eyes away from the confusing tangle of wires for a moment. "You okay, darlin'?" he asked.

River stretched her legs and arched her back. "Just sore and stiff," she answered, dismissing how badly she really ached in the difficult position.

Mal wriggled out from under the engine and pulled her to her feet. "We're takin' a break," he said in his most serious Captainy voice.

"I'm fine, Mal. Really," she protested. "There's so much to be done and…"

"And it can wait for half an hour while we take a walk around the ship," Mal interrupted. "I ain't the youngest of men, and I need to stretch a mite."

"Liar," River said, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Maybehaps I am, at that," Mal said, smiling. "But it's rude to point it out."

For just a moment, River smiled, and the horrible tension that she felt receded into the background just a little. Grateful to see the fleeting expression, Mal took her hand and moved out of the engine room.

All along Serenity's corridors, they encountered signs of the damage to the ship. Per River's instructions, Jayne and Zoe were making their way through the ship, tagging areas touched by the fire. Mal and River stopped at each tagged spot, assessing the damage for themselves. Grimacing, Mal added a few additional days to his mental estimate for completion times for the repairs.

River rubbed her belly distractedly. "Need to eat. Baby's hungry."

Taking that as the most pleasant thing he'd heard all day, Mal herded River quickly into the galley and started preparing something to eat before she changed her mind.

River pulled out the chair beside her and propped her feet up. She was somewhat startled to see how swollen her ankles were, and wondered briefly if it was perfectly normal or a sign of impending trouble. Sighing, she took the drink Mal held out to her and drank long and deeply from it, wishing her brother was there to ease her mind. The thought led to even less pleasant musings, so she tried not to dwell on it further.

Mal sat down across from her, eyeing her critically from head to toe. Most of what he saw was troubling. She looked so tired, he thought, as if worry and grief had added years to her real age. Her eyes were dull and ringed with faintly purple circles, and her hands and feet were swollen painfully tight. He wondered if such things were normal in the late stages of pregnancy, or if they were indicative of a problem developing.

It suddenly occurred to him that, if they did not get Serenity repaired quickly, there was every likelihood that River would go into labor with no medic on board to help her. In the best case scenario, Simon was still alive on Athens and they would get to him sometime within River's eighth month. And Mal didn't even want to consider the worst case scenario. The food he was eating suddenly stuck in his dry throat, almost choking him.

"They're alive," River said softly.

Mal swallowed the lump of food down quickly. "You know that for a fact?" he asked hopefully.

"No, but I think it," River said. "Would feel it if he died, I think."

Mal nodded. "I conjure you would, at that," he agreed, daring to hope that she was right. "That's the case, I think we'd best get back to work."

XXXXXXXXXX

"I found one," Kaylee called excitedly.

Simon ran to join her in front of one of the most beautiful things he thought he had ever seen, a working cortex link. Grinning like a man who'd just won the 'verse's biggest lottery, he eagerly began to type in the information that would send a wave to Serenity.

Standing back, they waited eagerly for someone from Serenity to appear onscreen. When nothing happened, Kaylee said hopefully, "Maybe we typed it in wrong."

Simon tried again, and achieved the same dismal result. Quickly checking other screens, he realized with a sinking dread that the terminal was indeed working correctly, but Serenity was not there. Kaylee's face revealed that she had come to the same heart-breaking conclusion. "They didn't make it," she whispered, eyes welling up with tears.

"Doesn't look like it," Simon said disconsolately. Somehow he had pinned all his hope on the thought that Serenity had evaded the Reavers and River would be waiting somewhere to come back for them. His disappointment was harsh and bitter in his throat.

"What are we gonna do, Simon?" Kaylee asked, despair in her voice.

Simon's mind went into overdrive, forming and rejecting ideas for their rescue. He realized, with a certain amount of shock, that other than Serenity, he had no one whom he could trust to whom he would dare send a wave. He had known when he'd first gotten River out of the Academy that he was burning his bridges behind him, but somehow that fact had never been more painfully evident than it was right now. Other than his wife beside him, everyone he cared about or trusted was on that ship, which now seemed to be lost forever. He sat down heavily, and ran his hands over his face in frustration.

"I can't think of one person who we can wave for help," he said softly.

Kaylee sat down beside him, running through possibilities in her mind as well. Her folks would arrange help if they had the means, she thought, but they had no private cortex link. And realistically, since they had no ship either, even if she could reach them, they could do nothing but arrange transport somehow, an expensive endeavor well beyond their material wealth. She thought about the Captain's old army buddy, Monty, who had a ship and had always been good to the crew. But she didn't know how to contact him, and he wasn't exactly likely to advertise his whereabouts publicly, considering his occupation. Sifting through her acquaintances in this manner, she came to the same conclusion her husband had reached. They were, in the most awful sense, alone.

XXXXXXXXXX

"That should be it," Mal said, connecting the last replaced wire under Serenity's console. Getting to his feet, he looked over at River. Every hour of the past three weeks of repairing the ship was etched into her face, all the worry written there as boldly as the strokes of Inara's paint brush. She moved slowly to the pilot's chair, unable now to summon any speed or grace in this last month of her pregnancy.

Mal moved to the co-pilot's seat, and together they began a systems check, Zoe and Jayne standing by in the engine room as a precaution. After several minutes of checking and re-checking the results, River declared the vessel ready for a short trial-run.

Mal held his breath as Serenity lifted smoothly into the air. Skimming low over the little moon, they observed a small settlement a great distance away from the site of their hasty landing. Coming in closer to the settlement, they realized just how fortunate Serenity had been to land so far away. Bodies lay strewn in the narrow streets, a sobering testament to the recent presence of Reavers, just as Mal had feared.

River shuddered at the images she saw, and the horrors whispering in her mind. Mal, with a shudder of his own, asked, "Think she's ready to break atmo?"

"We both are," River answered, fighting to block the sights bombarding her thoughts.

Mal reached for the newly repaired comm.. "This is the Captain. Brace yourselves. We're leaving the world."

XXXXXXXXXX

Simon stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. His back was burned from the relentless sun, and his arms felt like lead from the countless graves he had dug on Athens.

When the realization had sunk in that he and Kaylee were well and truly stranded for an indefinite period of time, Simon knew that they would either have to leave the settlement and fashion some sort of home elsewhere on the planet, or use what was available to them in the small town. But staying there meant that they would have to dispose of the decaying bodies to prevent contracting whatever horrendous diseases the Reavers may have left there.

So, he and Kaylee had spent their days on the unpleasant task of digging graves, and burying the remains of the dead. Kaylee insisted on Simon saying a few words over every grave, until it became too much to endure. Finally, they compromised, agreeing to say one final prayer for all the poor souls left. After that, they completed their grim task in relative silence every day, though Kaylee still said her secret prayers over each one as she helped lower them into the hard ground. She did not cry, as all her tears had already been spent. She wondered, somewhat numbly, if she'd ever be able to cry again.

Smoothing the dirt over the last grave, Simon stood and dusted his hands on his pants legs. "Guess that's it," he said wearily.

Kaylee wrapped her arms around his sweaty torso, proud and relieved that they had finished the macabre task. "Now what?" she asked.

"Well, I think a shower might be in order," Simon said, brushing the smear of dust off her cheek. But Kaylee wasn't paying attention. Her gaze was directed at the sky.

Simon raised his eyes as well, as the sound of a ship breaking atmo assaulted their ears, so used now to dead silence. He was almost afraid to see what type of ship it could be, imagining with icy dread that perhaps the Reavers had returned.

But Kaylee's squeal told him differently. Wondering if perhaps they were suffering from a shared delusion, Simon saw what Kaylee saw as well, Serenity landing softly on the dirt of Athens, sending up little puffs of dust into the afternoon air.

XXXXXXXXXX

To be continued


	8. Chapter 8

**Holding Pattern**

**Part VIII—Baby on Board**

Author: justslummin

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Rating: PG

Summary: The crew is reunited, and a much anticipated event occurs.

XXXXXXXXXX

Serenity's ramp lowered, and Kaylee jumped into Mal's arms, nearly knocking him off his feet in her excitement and relief.

"Glad to see you, mei mei," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Thought we mighta' lost you."

"Me, too, Cap'n," Kaylee said, her joy overflowing and shining as brightly as the afternoon sun. "We saw the Reavers chasin' ya' and thought you weren't gonna make it."

"Guess we're all just too pretty to die," Mal said softly, giving her another squeeze before she bounced into the ship to greet the others.

Simon, with more dignity but the same amount of relief, walked up the ramp, pulling his shirt on hastily. Extending his hand to Mal, he was surprised to be embraced instead. When he winced at the contact, Mal drew back with an appraising look. Seeing the bright red skin over the collar of Simon's shirt, he said, "See you've been sunbathing whilst we were away."

"Nothing much else to do in this town," Simon said dryly. The two men looked at each other for a long moment, both seeing the toll the last few weeks had taken on the other. Breaking the eye contact, Simon looked around the cargo bay.

"Where's my sister?" he asked.

"I'm here," she called from the catwalk. She made her way awkwardly down the stairs, her tired eyes beginning to regain their luminous glow as she drank in the sight of her brother alive and well.

Mal could swear in that moment that the brightness of Simon's smile rivaled Kaylee's. But by the time River reached Simon to embrace him, his trained eyes had already assessed the changes in her since he'd last seen her.

"You okay, mei mei?" he murmured against the top of her head.

River drew back and looked at him solemnly. Pulling Mal close, she said, "I'm okay. But I think there's someone coming who isn't patient to wait much longer." Resting her hand on the swell of her belly, she added, "Membranes ruptured on the bridge."

XXXXXXXXXX

Three hours later, the baby had made little progress in his quest for independence. Mal sat beside his wife in the infirmary, feeling vaguely guilty that something that had felt so good eight and a half months ago was currently wracking River's body with spasms of pain.

Simon, freshly groomed and completely in his doctor mode, was currently arguing with his patient. "It's much safer to be on the ground during your labor, River," he said, his tone revealing his belief that River was being unreasonable.

"Gorram it, Simon," she yelled, irritated immeasurably by having to repeat her thoughts on the matter yet again. "I want to get off this planet now. Don't want my baby to be born at the site of a Reaver attack. Dong ma?"

So far Mal had stayed out of the disagreement, torn between Simon's logical assumption that anything could, and usually did, go wrong in the Black; and River's adamant demand that they leave the site of such recent carnage. But now, River turned her flashing brown eyes to him, and said very calmly, "Ai ren, I want our baby to be born flying free in the Black where he belongs. Just like us. Please."

Unable to break free from her imploring gaze, Mal spoke to Simon. "Any compelling reason you think this particular take-off would cause a problem, or are you just opposed to the idea in general?"

Simon inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly, knowing by the tone of the question he'd already lost the fight. "Go as you like," he said. "But don't blame me if Zoe's piloting skills knock River out of the bed."

"I'll tell Zoe to fly real gentle-like," Mal said, winking at River and receiving a satisfied smile in return.

Stepping out the infirmary where the entire crew was gathered in anticipation, Mal announced, "Simon thinks it might be a little while before the little one decides to make an appearance. So, you can go on about your business and we'll let you know when to come back. Meanwhile, Zoe, I'll ask ya' to take us outta the world."

Zoe raised one exquisite eyebrow. "Any particular destination, sir?"

"Out into the Black," Mal said. "Just out into the Black."

XXXXXXXX

Kaylee held Anya up to peer into Serenity's heart. Impressed by what she saw of the repairs, Kaylee said, "Heard you saved the day, little one."

Anya wiggled happily. "Just told 'em where to find your stuff. Everybody else did the hard parts."

"But they wouldn'ta' been able to do it if'n you hadn't been such a good helper," Kaylee said, kissing Anya's cheek before she set her down. "And then Dr. Simon and me woulda' been left right where we were and never got back to Serenity again." 

Anya looked up at her with wide blue eyes. "I'm glad you're home, Miss Kaylee. Everybody was so sad when you were gone, and I think Captain Mal almost cried."

Kaylee realized suddenly that she hadn't lost her capacity to cry after all, as she felt her eyes moisten at the child's innocent words.

"Well," she said softly, "I'd best not be outta place again, then. Wouldn't want the Cap'n to cry."

"Me neither," Anya agreed, happily taking her hand as she continued her inspection of the repairs.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hope the squirt holds out a mite longer," Jayne said. "I ain't had time to finish this thing up proper."

Inara looked at the sturdy crib, amazed at how close Jayne was to finishing it despite all that had happened since he'd first begun. "It's shaping up nicely," she said. "But it's a little uncharitable to hope River's labor is extended to accommodate your project." Her words were softened by the smile she bestowed with them.

"Well, I don't want the little guy to have to sleep on the floor first night he's in the 'verse," Jayne said in defense. "That don't seem right at all."

Inara laughed, the sound reminding Jayne of tiny bells on an evergreen tree. "I imagine Master Reynolds will spend his first night in the infirmary with his father and mother."

"Reckon I got time to polish it up some then?"

"I believe so," Inara answered. Looking down at the way Jayne's hands caressed the wood as he worked was one of the more sensual things she'd ever seen, she thought abruptly. Startled by her new train of thought, she felt a blush suffuse her face and chest.

Totally oblivious to the effect he was having on her, he said, "How 'bout helpin' if'n you're gonna be standing there anyway."

She looked at him in surprise. "What do you want me to do?"

"Thought you might paint a little symbol on it for me."

XXXXXXXXXX

As the evening wore on, River was able to sleep a bit between contractions, as Mal and Simon kept vigil.

Speaking very quietly so as not to wake her, Mal said, "In case I didn't say it before, I'm mighty glad to have you back, doc."

Smiling, Simon whispered, "I expect you are, considering what I've come back to."

"I'm serious, Simon," Mal said. "Don't know what we'd do 'round here without you." He paused for a moment. "Truth be told, though, I'm glad you were there with Kaylee. She'd have been in a bad way without you, I conjure."

"Don't think I really helped much," Simon admitted. The next words came tumbling out before he could stop them. "I killed four people, Mal. People who were not trying to kill me or Kaylee. Innocent people." The bleakness in his eyes make Mal ache in his behalf. He continued, as if lancing a wound. "They were injured so severely, and I didn't…I couldn't do anything to save them, so I…" He stopped, unable to voice this final confession.

"So you showed them mercy," Mal finished firmly.

"Didn't feel like mercy," Simon whispered.

"Maybehaps not to you," Mal acknowledged. "But to them, it was a kindness. Count on it."

XXXXXXXXXX

River was so very tired, and Mal and Simon were both beginning to worry that she would not be able to deliver the baby naturally. But unless there were signs to indicate the baby was in distress, Simon was hesitant to consider performing surgery.

The contractions were coming with greater frequency and intensity now. As hard as it was to watch, Mal could only imagine how difficult it was to bear. No stranger to physical pain, he found himself holding his breath through every contraction. When Simon told River for the umpteenth time to breathe through the pain, Mal realized he should be taking that advice as well.

For a long time, River had been able to avoid crying out, but at this point, she could not think of one compelling reason not to. When she screamed, both Mal and Simon jumped. Had she not been in such pain, she would have laughed at the response. Telling her unborn child that she was now more then ready for him to appear, she vaguely heard Simon telling her to push. Mal took a position behind her just as Simon had told him to do, and helped to brace her into a better position for delivery. She reached back to grasp his hands, squeezing until he began to fear he was going to be nursing broken bones come morning.

Screaming loudly enough to bring the crew running to gather around the closed infirmary door, River gave one last massive push.

Almost instantly, the ear-splitting wail of a newborn suddenly shocked by the cold 'verse outside the warmth of the womb reverberated in the small space. River lay back, exhausted by the effort, and released her vise-like grip on Mal's hands, just as Simon said, "Quickly, Mal. Come see your son."

Mal took the child, still bloody and wailing with all the might of his tiny lungs, as Simon cut the cord. Embarrassed by the sudden mist in his eyes, he walked to River and held out their son for her inspection. "Look what you did, bao bei," he said, his voice filled with awe.

River reached to take his free hand. "Look what we did, you mean," she said softly. Resting the now quiet child between them, Mal leaned down to kiss his wife.

XXXXXXXXXX

"When you reckon they're gonna open the door?" Kaylee asked, impatient to see the new arrival.

"I'm sure we'll hear something in a minute," Inara said. "Simon's probably just assessing the baby's health." Since she had helped Simon during the birth of Petaline's child, everyone deferred to her experience in these matters.

Just as Zoe was giving serious consideration to prying the door open herself, it slid open and Mal stepped out into the hallway. Holding a tiny blanketed bundle forward, he said proudly, "Everybody, I'd like you to meet Serenity's newest crew member, Adam Reynolds."

Turning to Zoe first, he held the baby so that she could see him more clearly. "Do believe he looks a bit like you, sir," she said, trying unsuccessfully to maintain her stoic expression, but finding herself grinning like an idiot instead.

"Ain't no call to be insultin' the little fella 'fore he's an hour old," Jayne said, his own grin reaching his twinkling blue eyes.

"He's beautiful, Mal," Inara said, her smile bright and her eyes shining with happy tears.

Kaylee's hands itched to hold the baby, but she restrained herself from asking. "You and River done real good, Cap'n," she said.

"So did Simon," Mal answered. "River's resting now, but he says she should be up and about soon enough."

And then he saw Anya, looking up hopefully in the sea of adult elbows to catch a glimpse of the baby. Bending down to rest on his haunches, he called her forward. "Blondie, want to see your new playmate/"

She stepped forward, suddenly shy with the attention focused on the scene. Reaching a tentative hand out, she gently rubbed the downy hair of Adam's head.

"It tickles," she observed, fascinated by the infant.

His heart full to the point of bursting, Mal tugged her closer and hugged both children tightly to his chest.

XXXXXXXXXX

Having spent a night and a day in the infirmary, River persuaded Simon that she would rest much better in the passenger dorm that had been serving as their temporary home. Simon, fussing like a wet hen the whole way, helped Mal get River and Adam settled comfortably.

Leaving her to rest, Mal made quick work of his nightly security check of Serenity, and returned to their room. He entered quickly, having learned already that it was best to let sleeping children lie.

River sat in the rocker he'd bought in Athens, gently rocking the baby back and forth as he suckled noisily at her breast. Mal stood, transfixed by the sight of mother and child, his heart swelling with pride that these two precious lives were irrevocably intertwined with his own. River looked up, reading the thought easily, and smiled the smile that Mal was sure he would gladly travel the length of the 'verse to see.

Mal sat on the bed, content to watch as Adam finished nursing and fell asleep. Taking him gently from River's arms, he laid him in the crib Jayne had set up that afternoon and stood back to gaze at the baby some more. Lips still moving slightly, Adam settled down into a deeper sleep as River rose to stand beside her husband.

As Mal's arms encircled her waist, they both noticed for the first time the symbol painted elegantly on the headboard of their son's crib. It read, simply, "Serenity."

XXXXXXXXXX

Thus ends another tale of the 'verse. As always, there are more stories yet to tell, but they will have to wait for another day. Thanks for taking the time to read the stories, and of course, a special thanks to those who took the extra time to review and comment. Your words have brightened my days and enlightened my path.


End file.
